Holton 42, Sabetha 12

It was a great start for Sabetha as the Bluejays recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and 10 plays later scored on a Brett Plattner two-yard run to grab a 6-0 lead.  Yet, Trey Tanking returned the ensuing kickoff over 60 yards and the Wildcats put the next 35 points on the scoreboard to secure their first Big 7 League win of the season.  

Tanking had a 20 yard TD run on a fumbled snap to tie the score at 6, as both teams missed their initial point-after-kicks.  Justin Rieschick gave Holton the lead for good on an 8 yard run with :30 left in the first quarter.  Mason Barta's 2 yard touchdown was the only score in the second stanza as the Wildcats led 21-6 at halftime.  After forcing a punt to start the second half, Holton scored on their next three drives as Rieschick had a 3 yard run and Lucas Lovvorn scored of runs of 12 and 13 yards.  Sabetha quarterback, Brandon Poe, had a 2 yard touchdown run with :14 left in the third quarter, set up by a 48-yard run by sophomore, Trae Snyder.  

Holton got 69 yards from Indie Allen on a team high 10 carries; while Tanking, Lovvorn and Barta also finished with more than 50 yards on the ground.  With both Wildcat signal callers (Tanking and Rieschick) plagued by leg cramps, Holton relied on the fullback dive through much of the second half.

Kegan Schuman had 14 totes for 67 yards to pace Sabetha's rushing attack while Snyder added 60 and Plattner finished with 47 yards.  Poe was 7 of 11 passing as Brock Frey caught 4 balls for 32 yards.    

The game featured a couple injuries and both teams battling leg cramps.  However, both teams moved the ball and showcased very balanced offensive attacks with Holton having 325 yards rushing and Sabetha posting 211 with an additional 50 yards passing.  The Jays hurt themselves with untimely penalties and holding calls on offense that stalled multiple drives.      

With a second straight win, Holton improves to 2-1 with their 40th Big 7 League win in a row.  The Wildcats have won 83 of their last 84 league games with a lone loss at Sabetha (34-28) in 2007. Holton will host Hiawatha (0-3) in week four on the Holton Channel at www.mscsports.net.     

Sabetha is now 1-2 on the season and travels to Jeff West next week.  The Tigers are 0-2 and coming off a bye week with this game featured on KNZA 103.9 FM and The Sabetha Channel online at www.mscsports.net.